'At least one out of every 150 children in Pakistan is suffering of autism'.

ISLAMABAD, 04 June, 2009 (Frontier Star) -- At least one out of every 150 children in Pakistan is suffering of autism which can be cured if properly managed by parents and children. Such children required proper and constant attention. These were the consensus at a one day seminar at the National Institute of Special Education, Islamabad to create awareness among parents and community regarding autism. Those who delivered lectures included Principal NISE and an expert and author on Autism, Mrs.Naeema Bushra Malik, Speech Therapist, NIRM, Islamabad, Ms.Sadaf Naveen, Director, Step to Learn and Autism Resource Centre, Islamabad Maj. Umair Bin Tahir, Brig.(R) Sher Ali and Mrs.Kyani while Mr. Sibghat-ur-Rehman, Director (CR) Directorate General Special Education presided. Teachers and parents from all the special education centres working under the Directorate General of Special Education Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, provincial government and private sector participated. Mr. Naeema Bushra Malik explained the background, characteristics and causes of autism. She said that although the cause of speech and language problems in autism is unknown, many experts believe that the difficulties are caused by a variety of conditions that occur either before, during, or after birth affecting brain development. Maj. (R) Umair Bin Tahir explained intervention strategies to overcome the problems of children with autism, parents guidance and counselling in detail. He introduced the participants with latest intervention strategies for learning and educating them, in order to enable their autistic children to be more acceptable socially and functional in the society. Mrs.Sadaf Naveen high lighted the ways and means of tickling the problem of autistic children' and its intervention strategy. Autism can be characterized by a failure to develop normal verbal and non verbal communication, responsively to other persons, failure to use objects appropriately, generalized overreaction to certain sensory stimuli or a notable lack of response to other sensory stimuli, this interferes with an individual's ability to interpret and interact with the world. Some scientists tie the communication problems to a "theory of mind" or impaired ability to think about thoughts or imagine another individual's state of mind. Along with this is an impaired ability to symbolize, both when trying to communicate and in play. The experimental literature indicates that cognitive processes which underlie the construction of a lexicon or the learning of ordering rules may be disturbed in these children. The inability to coordinate visual and aural stimulation inhibits lexical development while difficulties in sequencing and use of inappropriate sequencing codes inhibit the growth of a productive grammar. She said and proposed that naturalistic activities should be preferred for communication development among autistic children. The most interesting was the lecture of Brig. (r) Sher Ali who out of his own experience with his son said that when man can train a dolphin why he cannot train his own child with a few deficiencies. Mrs.Bilal, a mother of an autistic child said that early intervention was necessary and said that Pakistani experts were capable to handle such children. Deputy Director NISE Azam Mirza conducted the seminar.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)